Friday, October 26, 2007

I read an article about how many Brits are up in arms over the “history” in the Showtime series “The Tudors.” I watched the first season. I enjoyed it. At some point I realized that the history was wonky. I checked, noticed that the television show was not accurate or factual (Imagine that!) and thought. “Oh, well…it’s not like it’s a documentary.” I went back to enjoying the show. Does everything that involves historical figures need to be factual? Can there be no historical fiction? Does it really matter that Henry the VIII was a red-head and that Jonathan Rhys Meyers is not? He's still pretty. And he's a reasonably good actor. Silly people. It’s television. You can’t believe everything it tells you!

And speaking of Brits and history and historical fiction…I saw Michael Sheen in the grocery store the other day. He looked a little bewildered by the choices for lunch. As was I. There seemed to be lots of food but very little to eat. I contemplated mentioning to him that I was very fond of several of his movies (Dirty Filthy Love, Bright Young Things) but since I haven’t yet seen the movie he has become most famous for (he plays Tony Blair in The Queen) I was hesitant. And I don’t talk to people anyway, why would I talk to him? I should have told him not to get that butternut squash soup though. It wasn’t good.

That particular grocery store has proven to be excellent for celebrity sightings. So far it’s been Michael Sheen, Ken Wantanabe, Aaron Eckhardt, Jon Heder, Miss California and Catherine Oxenbergand Casper Van Dien (together). I don’t go goofy when I see actors out and about, but I am always interested to see if someone is, say, taller or shorter than I thought (Michael Sheen is taller, Catherine Oxenberg is shorter), more or less unusual looking (Jon Heder is really very cute when he’s not Napoleon Dynamite), more or less handsome (Ken Wantanabe is very handsome, Aaron Eckhardt is more rugged, poor Michael Sheen just looked tired (but still as cute as a shiny button!). It’s just interesting to me I guess. Do you ever see any one of note out and about? Did they surprise you? Who was the best sighting you ever had? I still think Evander Holyfield is still my favorite...or maybe Carrie Fisher…but Michael Sheen is pretty good. He was the werewolf king, after all.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

The sky is a weird glowing grey. I don’t think sound is actually muffled but it SEEMS muffled. A strange sort of hush that could just be my imagination. The air doesn’t smell of smoke so much as…something burned. Rubber or gas or a little wood of all of it together. And this time, the ash isn’t falling like snow, not in Santa Monica anyway, and not at home in the valley. I can’t see it coming down but my car has a fine coat on it and when I wipe the windowsills, they are covered with grit again a few minutes later.

I don’t normally have breathing problems but my short walk to the grocery store has left my throat burning and my lungs raw. And the constant onslaught of stuff in the air has me stuffed up and sinus headachy.

So far, everyone I know is safe. Their houses are safe and their families are safe. But that’s just a few people. So many more are still in danger of losing everything. We are fine. The valley isn’t on fire but it makes me wonder, if it was, how fast could it move?

A co-worker called in the other day to say he wasn’t being evacuated but he was preparing, just in case. He said he had packed his wife’s car with their stuff and was trying to figure out what else he needed to gather. He said his wife wanted family photos and the like but he wasn’t interested in that kind of thing. He wondered what was actually important enough for him to worry about losing. I suggested he gather his legal papers, his birth certificate, marriage license, passport, wills. He said he hadn’t even thought about that stuff. In the end, his house was safe and he didn’t have to evacuate.

When I first moved to Los Angeles, it was an “el Niño” year. It rained a lot. That song wasn’t wrong, the next line after “It never rains in Southern California…” Is “It pours, man, it pours.” The past few years however, not so much rain. Yesterday there was 8% humidity. It’s better today, it’s 9%. Everyone is telling me that they can’t get enough to drink and I am itchy all the time. The winds have died down and it’s not as bad as it could be but it’s still really dry and hot. The weather reports actually say things like “areas of smoke and haze are possible, reducing visibility at times.” I never thought of smoke counting as “weather" before I lived here.

Monday, October 22, 2007

Ah, who knew that mentioning hose could stir up trouble? I did. But jeez, with all the silly things I say, why you choose to comment on hose is beyond me. But it does remind me of the rules of interviews, as I was taught them anyway.

Did you get some sort of instruction in college or high school on interviewing for a job? A little advice or maybe even a class or a seminar? I am pretty sure I had SOMETHING but I really don’t remember what. I do know, however, that on the east coast, when interviewing for pretty much any job, in the nineties and before I should say, who knows what people expect now, it was strongly recommended that one wear business clothes and when in doubt, err on the side of formal. Suit and tie for a guy. Suit, heels and hose for a girl. And when I say any job, I mean any job. I was in charge of interviewing people for a shoe sales position and if they showed up in jeans, they were not considered. Period. (Although, I do know that one girl I worked with interviewed in nice slacks, heels and a cropped sweater and got the job. I wouldn’t have hired her but I am not a dude. And for the record, she was a nice person and did ok as a sales person but could not be trusted to make change at the cash register because she couldn’t really count.)

I am pretty sure that I went to every job interview I ever had at that time in a pretty formal business suit. Probably something staid and navy blue. Eh. Not my thing but yes, appropriate. I am also pretty sure that if I felt the need to show any individuality on a job interview I did it with a slightly funky bag or piece of jewelry.

Then I moved to California. New rules. New rules that I did not know and I could have never guessed. I showed up at interviews in my summer suit. Navy blue with white trim and blue heels. I got told that I was “overqualified” (OK, I probably was for at least one of those jobs but certainly not for all of them) and that I seemed “so serious!” And I couldn’t figure it out. I was properly dressed; I had a decent resume with no typos. What was wrong?

It wasn’t until I got a “drop off your portfolio” type of interview…where you don’t really interview but you drop off your samples and your resume and then if they like them, they will call you for a proper interview. Now, I was probably not really qualified for the job but hey, I was a textbook illustrator and a digital artist and damn if I was not going to apply for any job that I was even vaguely qualified for. I dressed up, dropped off my book and subsequently got the call to come pick it up…no interview. Fine, didn’t really expect one. I also did not expect to run into the guy who actually got the job in the lobby. And, for that matter, I did not expect his name to be “Crash” or for his pants to be baggy and sagging down past his boxer shorts due to the huge wallet chain. And aside from that, I didn’t expect him to be wearing yellow bug-eye glasses and to have his hair in a Mohawk. Nope, didn’t expect that at all. Look, I know I work in a fairly “creative” field but really? Really?

So I rethought every thing I knew. I went out and bought a new suit, but this time I kept it a little more casual. Scuba style jacket and short skirt, tee shirt underneath, funky chunky shoes and a man’s chunky watch. I retired my beautiful linen and leather satchel and replaced it with one made from recycled tires and seatbelts. Same me. Same sample book. But now, I had job offers.

And for the record, I still wore hose, because that’s what I was told to do when going to a job interview. Saved me too, the skirt was too big on the new suit and it got twisted around and I found myself in a casual interview, sitting next to the guy who might be my new boss with my skirt hitched up way too high and the kick pleat slit that should have been in the back now in the front. Believe me, I was glad to have the hose on that day.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Boo! I am suddenly depressed. Here I thought I was getting a leg up on things and today, a CHRISTMAS present that I had ordered for my brother arrived and…I don’t like it. And I think I have to send it back. Rats. And YOU may think it’s early to be Christmas shopping but my mom is done. And all of her presents are wrapped. And she has some set aside for next year. So that’s the suck. I thought I was cool and yet again, I was so, so wrong. Boo.

But over the weekend I went to a “re-commitment” ceremony. Some friends celebrated their 25th anniversary by doing it all over again. Crazy, says I. It was a big enough pain for me the first time, I can’t imagine doing it a second time, but I also can’t imagine being alive after 25 years of marriage…well, let’s just say one of us won’t be alive and ya’ll can start taking bets on who is going to make it.

It was a lovely service though, right on a cliff over the water. There was singing and dancing and food and everything you expect at an event like this. And there was Glen Campbell, which you kind of don’t expect at an event like this. But there he was. I didn’t believe it at first. I was sitting outside and I refused to get up and look until I heard “Rhinestone Cowboy”. And when I heard it, I looked and sure ‘nuff…Glen Campbell. Groovy.

The one problem I have with events like this though is the dressing up. I am not a dressing up kind of girl. I am a barely able to get out of my pajamas kind of girl. I am aa “is an old holey sweatsuit appropriate for a job interview?” kind of girl. And when the invitation says “cocktail attire” well…in my house dressing for cocktails involves that ratty old bathrobe and slippers, just like every other event. And “cocktail attire” is pretty vague I think. I mean, if I were to go out for cocktails with say…SnarkyDork, I might wear nice jeans and a pretty sweater. Or if I were going to cocktails with Glen Campbell…well, I am sure it would involve rhinestones. But I don’t like dresses and I don’t like all the stuff that goes with dresses.

I have worn dresses. I wore dresses for work and I wore dresses for play but I just never think of them as comfortable and I DON’T WANNA! When I did wanna, I did it well, I wore “Designing Women” suits, I wore high heels, I wore hose (because in New Jersey, you wear hose. In the south, you wear hose. In California, you are all sluts who don’t wear hose!) and I was well dressed. And the dresses got caught in cross breezes and blew up (I once even had a wrap around skirt blow completely off!) and the hose got runners in them and the high heels did terrible things to my feet and I DON’T WANNA!

So, I wore some pretty wide leg trousers and heels and a pretty silky blouse with kimono sleeves. I kept stepping on my trousers and the pretty silky blouse kept sliding off my shoulders and exposing my bra and the heels ended up giving me foot cramps that kept me up all night.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

So, that long threatened essay on why I hate a tv show that no one watches anyway? I am still working on it. It’s taken on a life of it’s own really and I am thinking it’s much closer to dissertation than blog entry now. The thing is, and this is slightly embarrassing, I have a deep and undying love for vampire stories. And not for the reasons that you might expect. Actually, I don’t know what reasons one could give for such a love that isn’t embarrassing so I am going to go with “metaphor for…” um…I don’t know. I like vampire stories but I don’t have any real interest in the “erotic” nature of them. I don’t want to be a vampire or to be bitten by a vampire or anything like that. It’s much like SnarkyDork might say “I like stories about dogs” or how someone might like mysteries or romances. I like vampire stories. So this is why I have such strong feelings about Moonlight, and why I thought I had so much to say about why it didn’t work for me. But the more I talk about it the weirder it seems.

Aw jeez, and now I am really tired and I don’t feel like writing anymore.

Oh but just in case you were wondering, there have been cupcakes, chocolate with vanilla frosting, that were dubbed “Awesome” and “Better than Sprinkles” (which frankly, isn’t hard) by a multi-millionaire (no kidding). So I can’t finish an essay on the importance of the history of the vampire legend and how taking away his weaknessness does in effect, leave him toothless but I can bake some kick-ass cupcakes. And my secret? Boiling water.

And now, my hands smell of soy sauce so I am done.

(No drugs were involved with any of this. I am really just that weird. And Sarah? Now that you have been outed as the secret reader from Ontario, do you have a blog? I’d love to stop by.)

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Because I got a face full of hot coffee this morning and mine stings a little.

Oh and…because it’s killing me…sorry, had to finish the joke.

That’s not the way you want to start the day though, caffeine is really not meant to be absorbed through the face, or the shirt…or the counter, floor or cabinets for that matter. Jeez. What a pain.

You might be getting the idea that I am a little clumsy. I’ve hit myself in the face with a car, taken a spectacular fall on a city street…but really, this is the worst thing I’ve done lately. And I blame it on the microwave.

But here’s something weird. I do have a stat counter on this blog and although I don’t look at every stat report, I do occasionally check to see if whomever that is in Hamilton, Ontario is still reading (Hi, nice to see you’re still with me, how are you?) but I am not all that big on stats. I have noticed that I get hits for the same things over and over again, Shane McGowan, Cyndi Lauper and goth bakeries. When Rome was on the air I got a lot of hits for Ciaran Hinds. Sometimes I mention someone like Hugh Laurie and I get linked in a listing on a fansite. And I get a lot of hits for that picture of the bunny and the penguin dreaming. I’d like to know why but…I don’t care all that much. Today I took the extra step of checking to see what people were searching for that got them here…apparently it was “moist boobs”. Yeah, thanks, we don’t have those around here and really, nice way to search for the two words that I most dislike. It’s like you are trying to freak me out. Gross.

Things here have been going apace. The terrarium continues to terrorize, the moon flower is out of control but the Dragon Coleus as now sprouted so I am thinking it’s going to be a battle royale. The sensitive plant has also sent up some shoots. Unfortunately it’s planted right between the moon flower and the coleus so…it’s only gonna get more sensitive.

Not much else has been going on. I wrote a long rant about a particular television show and haven’t finished it yet. Oh and A.C.? Commercials are stupid so you will remember them. Just ask anyone from the Delaware Valley “Hey, where did everybody go?” and I can almost guarantee you that they will tell you, “They’ve gone to Betson’s!” and if you mention Michael’s Furniture to anyone in Los Angeles they will tell you it’s the store with “lllllleeeeeessssssss overhead!”. The stupid, it sticks in our brains. True, it also sucks out the IQ but it stays there and we remember it. But then, every once in a while, you get a gorilla playing drums or a cowboy herding cats and that makes the lower IQ worth it.

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Answers to random questions posed in the comments which I keep forgetting to answer:

Brenda: the punch is from a Bit of Fry and Laurie and you can watch it here. Also, I don’t think I noticed the PoP gallery at Disneyworld but that may have only been because I was drunk. (Oh, I’m just kidding, for heaven’s sake!)

As far as how much TV I watch, it’s not that much, I was commenting on the NEW shows for this season, you will notice that I did not mention House or Doctor Who (for once). I do watch quite a lot of TV but probably less than you think. That said, our little family is largely powered by TV, we depend on it for our incomes and because of that, we use it as an excuse to watch as much as we want.

PW (Perry White, is that you?): You didn’t ask but I am going answer, I wrote a whole post about Moonlight but then decided not to publish it because hey, someone likes it…but…I keep complaining about this show at home and James is getting tired of hearing about it…I’ll clean up the language and tell you why I got so angry soon…(seriously, Prince of Wales? PRINCESS OF WAILS? Could it be?)

Donvan’s Mama: I think I told you about the chops and how I cooked them but the greens were the mixed bag o’ greens from Trader Joe's. I didn’t let them cook long enough and I didn’t put in enough vinegar, but they were edible.

Snarky Dork: This is from a while ago but I do not know if the changes to Pirates are the same in Florida and California because I have not been to Disneyland since the update. None of the changes are major but I do think the new animatronic moves much better than the old (and that is certainly helped out by the odd movements of Johnny Depp in the film) and I am happy that a character I like (Barbossa) is in the ride. The ride itself has never been a favorite but the updates make it more fun for me.

There, that is my duty done. I should have been more prompt but I wasn’t and I never will be. I will happily answer any other questions you ask but I warn you now, I don’t know anything. But I would be happy to make up answers to any questions you do have.

Things that have made me ridiculously happy today (actually, yesterday…I've been slow to post):

News of an upcoming Wallace and Gromit Movie (short). Yay! I’ve just watched Flushed Away and I actually really liked it. I went in thinking there was no way it would work and ended up thinking Hey that was cute. The story was a little abbreviated but I actually thought that the computer animation worked ok. Sure, it’s not as lovely as the stop motion clay animation but you know, it fills in the gaps. It will do.

Vegan Yum Yum’s jellied cranberry sauce. I like cranberry sauce, and I have made it from scratch and it is good. But secretly, what I really like is the canned stuff that comes out with a splorching noise. Out of the can, I mean. I like to carve my name in it. Now I am I going to try making it myself…and then I will carve my name in it.

A few recipes from the Veganomicon cook book. Still not a vegan but still love her cookbooks.

Words that SOUND dirty but aren’t. Duty, ball cock, and manhole…I could go on for hours, seriously. Ms. Fond of Snape started it…but it’s still cracking me up.

Things that have made me less happy today:

Traffic.

The soy tacos from Whole Foods. Not good.

None of my mail arriving.

BUT TODAY:

Heavens to Betsy (as my mother would say) I think I have mental powers! Not two days ago I was watching Stephen Fry in a semi-illegal downloaded thingy and thinking “But goodness wouldn’t I like to read a blog written by him? He’s an interesting guy and I bet he’d be quite good at it.” (yeah, I do think like that). And today, I am alerted to the existence of this. Now, Mr. Fry, I will concentrate on you coming by with a beer and a SALMON taco for me. See you in a bit.

No, seriously, thank you, Mr. Fry. You made my day that much better. Well, you and the fact that the soy tacos are gone. They were really bad.

AND! AND! I planted a terrarium, the other night. I’ve actually had the terrarium for quite a while but seeing as it is a “Gothic Garden” and will eventually contain such things as “Black Dragon Coleus”, Aloe plant, Sensitive plant, Dragon’s Tree and Moonflower, I thought it appropriate to get it growing now in hopes that it would be in full bloom for Halloween. This morning I discovered sprouts, Moonflower sprouts. And they are growing at an alarming rate, Every time I leave my desk I worry a little that I will come back to jungle. I swear I can hear the rustle as they grow (Did you know that rhubarb grows so fast you can hear it? It apparently creaks. It also apparently likes the dark, or more specifically, candlelight. Rhubarb is creepy. And it probably should be in my Gothic Garden, listening to some Bauhaus, or at the very least, some Morrissey).

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

What I am reading: My mother and I were talking the other day. She mentioned that she had asked my dad if he read more than one book at a time because she was currently reading two…I am currently reading…too many. But I am enjoying them. Just about done with The Devil in the White City and hotdamnandhellyeah what a good book. The writing is lively and kind of fun, even when the story is grim. The history is interesting and yes, I do have a weird fascination with certain serial killers, I didn’t know anything about either H.H. Holmes or the Columbia Exhibition before this book. It is a “fictionalized non-fiction” book of sorts but that’s how it stays entertaining.

At the same time I am also reading two Georgette Heyer novels, Behold Here's Poison (because that's one of the best darn titles ever!) and The Nonesuch. In another gaping hole in my education, I had never heard of Georgette Heyer, I don’t know why, I read mystery novels and she wrote quite a few of those, but I suppose her Regency romance novels are really what she is known for and I am not up on romances. I have read a few here and there and I have no issue with them, I just tend to read other things. Well, a few months ago, the BFF mentioned that she had been loaned these two books that the loaner had described as “as close to Jane Austen as you will probably get”. That intrigued and frightened me, I love Jane Austen and often times when someone says, “This is what Jane would write if she were writing today” they are usually about as far from Austen as you can get. But Heyer wrote a lot and here was a personal recommendation, so I found a few books on half.com and started reading. I am about halfway done with Behold here’s Poison and only starting The Nonesuch but…Georgette Heyer keeps popping up in my life. After I ordered the book, I happened to win another book (by a different author) online, and in researching THAT author, I came across many references to Heyer. Then I asked my mom if she had ever read any Georgette Heyer as mom is very well versed in Regency romances…and pretty much any other book out there. She told me that she not only knew who she was, she had read all of her books when I was a little girl! Finally last night I was watching a documentary sort of thing on Stephen Fry and he was talking about his guilty pleasures. Apparently, aside from darts and punching Hugh Laurie, he loves Georgette Heyer. Heck, she’s even widely credited with creating the Regency romance genre…well, the kind that wasn’t actually written during the early 19th century.

I guess the real question is, what rock have I been under all these years?

(Incidentally, Stephen Fry has the most beautiful stage punch ever. Straight out from his shoulder and right to the jaw. I could watch him coldcock Hugh Laurie all day and not got tired of it.)

I think I am also reading a few other books but I tend to leave them scattered around and pick them up ever now and then. I am kind of puttering around with a few books on fairies that I am using as inspiration for some new pictures. And I picked up a YA book in “Great Britain” in Epcot called I Am Morgan le Fey by Nancy Springer. I just found the title interesting. We’ll see if I like it.

I think I did startle two little girls in that store though. Oh and hey, why is there not a bookstore in Disneyworld? Or is there one and I just couldn’t find it? There were several Disney books that I was looking for (and eventually found in different places throughout the parks) but it just seems like a good idea…one store, all books. Most of Disney’s movies were inspired by books and heck, Disney has it’s own publishing branch, but it took me forever to find the Mary Blair book I was looking for (found it in Mexico in Epcot, didn’t buy it, too expensive). Anyway…these two young girls were perusing the meager selection of books in the toy store in Great Britain and one of them said to the other “Who is this MANDY”? referring, of course, to the book, Mandy, by Julie Andrews. AND here’s where the story gets a little Ren…I had just come from the pub and was a little…happy (just a little) so I swooped in and proceeded to school these kids on good books, Mandy being a story I had read at their age. I also heartily encouraged them to read the Mary Poppins series as well as the Narnia books. They took it all in stride but kind of backed away slowly. And then when one of them asked for a book her mother said, “I am not paying $20 for this! Come on!” and dragged her out of the store. Sigh.

And the same goes for you! No, no, I would totally buy you a $20 book...ok, i wouldn't, but I do think you should read the Mary Poppins series...and at least The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe of the Narnia series. It's good stuff.

Monday, October 01, 2007

After a conversation with the BFF about the new shows, I wrote up this whole entry about what I was interested in, but now that most of them have premiered, and I have seen a few, I went back and added some editorial comments

Hmmm, not sure why I am doing this but I am doing it anyway. Yes, I probably watch too much TV. But I watch a lot less than most people. And I read. I swear I do! But last year I wrote a bit about what new shows I was looking forward to and it seem like a good time to follow up.

I guess the new season has actually started and I have already fallen behind but…I don’t care. I did record and watch the premiere of K-ville and…well…it was ok. I probably won’t watch it again. It was kind of melodramatic for my tastes but the very nature of the story makes it necessary to be that overblown. Overblown is a bad word for it, I guess, but do you know what I mean? The setting alone is dramatic, the back-stories of the characters are dramatic…it’s very…dramatic. And Cole Hauser is cute but not cute enough to make me need that much drama.

Watched the first episode of Back to You because I am a fan of the half-hour sitcom format. And if you are gonna have a sit-com, these are the people who should be making it. It’s really the cream of the crop as far as that goes, the writers, the actors, the producers and creators, they are the big leagues. But the show…eh. Not that interested. So, so far, this season, I am not really clicking.

What else is there? Kitchen Nightmares? Nope. I have seen some of the British version of this show and that tends towards the “kinder, gentler” Gordon Ramsey. If you have very loose definitions of “kind” and “gentle” but I really feel like he’s less shouty on the British Kitchen Nightmares and the commercials for the American version seem to feature a lot of shouting. So…no.

Gossip Girl? Nice try but if you are going to use the voice of Veronica Mars but not the actress, I’m not going to watch. Not much into the teen drama thing anyway.

Oooh, Kid Nation! I admit, I think this is the best idea for a reality show EVER. Unfortunately, I don’t really enjoy reality shows, so…nope.

Viva Laughlin. Got me. I am so there. If only to see a spectacular disaster. I loved Viva Blackpool (which was originally just called Blackpool, I think). David Morrissey AND David Tennant with a spicy dash of Sarah Parrish. Yep. Loved it. I can’t imagine it will play as well here but I am terribly curious to see. Plus there is the added possibility of a singing, dancing WOLVERINE…well, ok, so Hugh Jackman was a singer and a dancer before he was a wolverine but who cares? As long as he sings…and dances.

Life is Wild. Probably not but maybe. It’s another Americanization of a British show. Could be good (like The Office (after three episodes)), could be bad (like Coupling).

Chuck. I will watch it at least once, just to see, but…look. I am a nerd. I work with nerds. I live with nerds. What’s with all the nerd shows? And are they really going to give nerds their due? Or are we just another punch line?

(OK, so I have since watched Chuck and much to my surprise…I kind of enjoyed it. It was fun. It was pleasant and how did I not know that Adam Baldwin was on it? My husband says I just have a thing for Jane but in reality, I just have a thing for My Bodyguard.)

Journeyman. Early Edition meets Quantum Leap? Ah, Kevin McKidd, you haven’t done me wrong yet…yet. Rome was televisions saving grace last year. Dog Soldiers made me love horror movies again. (Werewolves! People doing things that people would actually do when attacked by werewolves! If you have not yet seen this movie, I heartily encourage you to do so! Plus…KEVIN MCKIDD and SEAN PERTWEE and Oh! Someone else I like…who was it? Oh, I think the Irish dude from Prime Suspect was in it too, Liam Cunningham!!!)

Cane. Hrm. Jimmy Smits. Good. But…but…I don’t know. I have no real reason for having no interest in this show. I kind of want to watch this show. But…I kind of don’t. But for no real reason at all. How’s that for wishy-washy?(Decided not to watch it. Not that interested and eh, I watch too much as it is.)Reaper. Oh, this could be great. Or terrible. And I will watch it because I am hoping for the great and expecting the terrible. (Watched it, liked it. Husband pointed out that it has a very Shaun of the Dead vibe and I thought it really carried the mark of Kevin Smith, and I hope it continues to do so. Also Bret Harrison has been a fave around our house for a while and there is no one better to play the devil than Leland Palmer (Ray Wise).

Private Practice. Nope. Gave up on Gray’s Anatomy when Izzie cut Denny’s heartline thingy. Not gonna bother with a spin off of a character I don’t like.

Dirty Sexy Money. I set a record. I was kind of into it just for Donald Sutherland. Oh you can keep your Keifer, I like the big daddy. But the commercial made me snicker and it looked like a good “Love to hate them” kind of show. (Watched it, really, really enjoyed it. It’s just over the top enough to be fun but not wacky. Also, it’s nice to see Donald Sutherland just enjoying himself. And those teeth…are they his real teeth?)

Bionic Woman. BFF says she will watch it just to see the lead get kicked around by Starbuck. I’m not sure I will even bother. The woman who is playing Jamie Sommers (is she still called that, I don’t even know and can’t be bothered to look) used to be on the Brit soap opera East Enders. She played the whiniest, most…annoying character ever. However, she was also in Jekyll and I didn’t hate her in that. But still…Bionic Woman? I still have my Bionic Woman doll from when I was a kid. The only things I liked about it were the handbag and the weird rubbery skin on her arm that you could roll up to see her bionics.

Big Shots. Seeing as I have seen very little about this one, I am going to take that as a warning sign and stay away.

Moonlight. Dude, wasn’t there a show called Forever Knight just like this? Mostly I won’t watch it because, despite my love for vampire stuff…I can’t stand the way the guy looks on the billboards, kind of startled. (OK, I couldn’t help myself. I have a deep love for vampire stories so I recorded it. I haven’t watched it yet and I am not hoping for big things but…it does feature Sophia Myles, who geeks may remember as Madame De Pompadour on Doctor Who and Jason Doehring, late of Veronica Mars. I am a geek. I will watch it at least once. Lord knows we could all use a good vampire story round here.)

Good lord, there are more new shows and I am already bored doing this and I can’t even imagine who might still be reading…

Aliens in America. I’ll try. That’s all I am saying.

Cavemen. Um…no. While I am actually not bothered that it is basically a spin off from a commercial (Hey, if they can pull it off, they might as well!, I am just not into it. And now I am hearing people talking racism? People...TV show about cavemen...from a car insurance commercial...let's not get too serious here.)

Carpoolers. Oh god help me, something about this looks funny to me!

Pushing Daisies. OK, this was the show I was most interested in and yet…it’s either gonna be good or so darn precious that it’s awful. But it sure looks purty.

Women’s Murder Club- I know next to nothing about this. Let’s not take this as a good sign.

Samantha Who?-ah, another show that’s not been getting a lot of press. But hey, I like that Christina Applegate, and hey, I love Overboard, seen it a million times. And since this pretty much appears to be the same thing, I’ll give it a go.

That’s a lot of TV. And it doesn’t even cover the stuff I really do watch and love like Weeds, Dirty Jobs and Bizarre Foods. The thing is, I really don’t watch them all. I kind of wander around and see stuff as I go along. I still haven’t seen the last three episodes of last year’s Heroes and I have like an entire season of Medium stored on the dvr. But that’s the nice thing about it, now I can watch something I want to watch when I want to watch it. Half of these shows will be cancelled, some for good reasons, some for bad. Some I will lose interest in when they pull a stupid stunt or let a good actor go. It doesn’t really matter. It’s only television.